This invention relates to a tray for catching liquid and debris from glasses in glass racks for automatic industrial dishwashers.
Glass or dish racks per se are known. In using such glass racks, restaurants and catering halls manually stack or clutch soiled tableware when removing the soiled tableware from tables within the dining area, brush or empty debris from the soiled tableware into a container and then insert the soiled articles into the glass or dish rack for cleaning. Such a process is cumbersome and permits liquid or solid debris from soiled tableware to spill in the dining area. In addition, such a process results in excessive breakage of tableware.
However, restaurants have needed an efficient, preferably one-step process and associated apparatus for cleaning or bussing dirty or soiled tableware from tables within a dining area without breakage of tableware or spilling any debris contained within the soiled tableware, and inserting the soiled tableware into a rack for cleaning within or by a dishwasher. To provide such an efficient process, the present invention relates to a debris-holding tray detachably secured beneath a conventional glass rack and a table clearing method. The tray and glass rack are carried as a unit to a table in a dining area in need of clearing. The tray catches liquid or solid debris expelled from soiled articles as the articles are directly inserted into the rack. Breakage of tableware is minimized by directly inserting the tableware into the glass or dish rack. The tray and glass rack are then carried or conveyed as a unit to a dishwasher whereupon the rack is detached from the tray. The rack is inserted into the dishwasher for cleaning the soiled articles and the tray is then attached to an empty rack for continuing the table clearing operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tray attachable to conventional glass racks for automatic dishwashers for catching debris and water from inverted glasses prior to washing drinking glasses. The tray comprises four walls and a bottom and means for attaching the tray to a conventional glass rack.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rapidly attaching, manually releasable tray with a ribbed or corrugated bottom that prevents wave motion of waste liquid poured into the tray.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means wherein the tray can be quickly secured to the glass rack with said means located on oppositely disposed walls of the tray, said means being adapted to fasten the tray in place to the glass rack.
Other objects of the present invention are to provide a quick, one-step method for moving glasses or cups from tables in restaurants to the dishwasher apparatus, and to provide a device which is of simple construction, is inexpensive to manufacture, has a minimum number of parts which are easily replacable, is easy to use and is efficient in operation.